Aloo Pies - again!

This recipe was posted in April last year, using wholewheat flour. It is being reposted from a batch using white flour only. This time there are more photos to guide your process. Practice makes perfect!


For the aloo (potato) filling:
Potatoes, 4-5 medium, peeled and quartered
Milk, half cup
Salt, half teaspoon
Hot pepper, piece chopped fine
Thyme, leaves of "French" or fine leaved variety

For the bread or "bake" casing:
White flour, 5 cups
Butter, 2-3 ounces
Dried yeast, ounce
Sugar, tablespoon
Water, 10 ounces (2 cups approx)
Salt, sprinkle

Vegetable oil (soya or corn or coconut) for frying, one cup

Chutney (mango or tamarind)
Garlic sauce
Shadon beni sauce

Put potatoes to boil in water just covering. Simmer until cooked. Drain water off. Mash potatoes with milk and seasonings and allow to cool.

Put yeast in tap water (room temperature approximately 28C or 80F) with sugar until frothy. Mix flour with butter. When yeast is forthy, knead in to flour and butter, then set aside to raise. When risen to double (an hour or 45 minutes), punch down and shape quarters into balls. Set aside to raise. When risen again (30-45 minutes), shape each quarter into four smaller balls. Let rest for a few minutes. (If you flatten and fry these - without aloo - they are called "fried bakes." Serve hot with cheese or fried fish.)

One egg sized ball for each aloo pie or "fried bake"

Fill, flatten and fry until golden brown

Flatten each ball, put a heaping teaspoon of potato mixture in the middle, then fold over the edges to encase the potato. Flatten gently. Fry these pies in hot oil, at medium heat, a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Split and smear chutney (tamarind, mango) or garlic or shadon beni sauce before eating.